Speaking exclusively to London-based illustrator Aurelie Baudry Palmer – the artist behind the festive invitation –discovered how Princess Kate requested a touching amendment at the eleventh hour.
Paying tribute to her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess of Wales specifically asked Aurelie to incorporate Her Majesty’s favourite dog breed, Corgis.
The artist revealed: “It was such an honour to be approached by Kensington Palace to illustrate the announcement for the Princess of Wales’ carol service at Westminster Abbey. It was definitely a ‘pinch-me’ moment when they got in touch!
“This commission was a fairly quick turnaround, and I also wanted to leave plenty of time for feedback – like the addition of corgis!”
Blown away by the positive feedback, Aurelie added: “I’m over the moon my work has been shared so widely, and also to play a small part in such a thoughtful community carol concert.
“I worked on the illustration over three days, filming as I drew and showing the progress to the Kensington Palace’s team as I went along to make sure I was on the right track. It certainly took a few hours… a little longer than the beautiful 22-second clip that was put together afterwards.”
Princess Kate shared details of her upcoming carol concert last week. She made the announcement via social media and included a timelapse video of Aurelie’s stunning artwork. Above the drawing, she included the caption: “A date for your diary this December. And you can join us for this very special Carol Service @ITV on Christmas Eve.”
The celebratory event held on Thursday, December 15 will honour the values Queen Elizabeth II demonstrated throughout her life.
